Man in the Past, Present, and Future; The Evolution of Consciousness

The Sun-Initiation of The Druid Priest and his Moon-Science

On-line since: 19th April, 2004

Man in the Past, Present, and Future

The Evolution of Consciousness

The Sun-Initiation of the Druid Priest and His Moon-Science

Rudolf Steiner Archive Document

Lectures Section

These lectures were given shortly after Steiner returned from a trip
to England where he visited many of the stone circles of the Druids.
Because of this trip he could give a lively description of the
clairvoyant consciousness of the people who erected these ancient
monuments. He describes how they discerned the changing seasons and
stellar influences from the quality of the shadows cast by the stones.
From this they directed agricultural practices and acquired a deep
knowledge of the elemental beings in nature. Their perception of the
spiritual being of the Sun while shaded from its physical light
prepared them for the ready acceptance of Christianity long before
missionaries from Rome reached these islands.

By Rudolf Steiner

Translated by E. H. Goddard
Bn 228, GA 228

These lectures were given shortly after Steiner returned from a
trip to England where he visited many of the stone circles of the Druids.
Because of this trip he could give a lively description of the clairvoyant
consciousness of the people who erected these ancient monuments. He
describes how they discerned the changing seasons and stellar influences
from the quality of the shadows cast by the stones. From this they directed
agricultural practices and acquired a deep knowledge of the elemental beings
in nature. Their perception of the spiritual being of the Sun while shaded
from its physical light prepared them for the ready acceptance of
Christianity long before missionaries from Rome reached these
islands.

These are the 5th through 8th of 8 lectures from the lecture series entitled,
The Science of Initiation and Knowledge of the Stars.
Translated from shorthand reports unrevised by the lecturer. The
lectures are included in a volume of the Complete Centenary Edition of
the works of Rudolf Steiner entitled,
Initiationswissenschaft und Sternenerkenntnis.
Der Mensch in Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft
vom Geschichtpunkt der Bewusstseinsentwickelung.
(Vol. No. 228 in the Bibliographical Survey, 1961.)

This English edition is published by permission of the Rudolf
Steiner Nachlassverwaltung, Dornach, Switzerland.